Cave Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (ID)

Hatch outlook

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Oct 15 · until the hard frosts of mid-October; on the Missouri, August hoppers fish mid-river, not the banks

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Spruce MothActive window

Typical here: Jul 20 – Aug 31 · a conifer-forest event — it needs fir and lodgepole on the banks, so it's a Rock Creek / Blackfoot / upper Bitterroot specialty

adultmorning through midday — moths don't enter the water willingly — landings are sporadic and near the conifer banks; fish the imitation LOW in the film with minimal floatant, even fully drowned, with a little movement

When the moths show, just about every run produces — large trout key on them so hard that one pattern carries the whole box for two weeks.

Honest limit: a small drowned-surface moth has no lure analog. The workable rig is a casting bubble with a drowned moth pattern along the timbered banks in the morning; otherwise fish spinners early and late and leave the moth window to the film.

2–3 weeks at best, and day-to-day — fish key on the moths when they show and vanish with them

The event happens over banks under conifers — the moths rarely reach mid-river

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Cave Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Cave Lake on the board.

Fishing Cave Lake: what the data says

760-acre lake in Idaho. The lake tops out around 18 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Drawn out, this is 758 acres of water rimmed by 6.6 miles of bank. Index 1.7 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 88% of this chart, as modeled. Figure 1.7 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.3 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is Blue Lake, 4 mi to the northwest.

Rainbow Trout fishing at Cave Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 18 ft. The depth story barely changes: 5 to 18 ft through summer, 4 to 18 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 8 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	5 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	5 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	4 to 18 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Cave Lake

Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 18 ft. Even in summer they hold at 5 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 18 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 8 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	5 to 18 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	3 to 18 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	3 to 18 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Brook Trout fishing at Cave Lake

Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	5 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (15 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 18 ft	dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Yellow Perch fishing at Cave Lake

Spring yellow perch on Cave Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	5 to 18 ft	dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	5 to 18 ft	midday	Deep basin (15 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	5 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Notable structure

The chart marks 6 structure features on Cave Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 15 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Cave Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Idaho waters are set by the Idaho Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to Cave Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Idaho fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Cave Lake?

Cave Lake is about 18 ft (5 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Cave Lake?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, yellow perch on Cave Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Cave Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Cave Lake?

For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Cave Lake?

Fishing on Cave Lake is regulated by the Idaho Fish and Game. Check the official Idaho regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Blue Lake 4 mi · Killarney Lake 4 mi · Bull Run Lake 8 mi · Lake Coeur d'Alene 9 mi · Rose Lake 9 mi · Chatcolet Lake 10 mi · Liberty Lake 25 mi, WA · Newman Lake 31 mi, WA · Spokane River 31 mi, WA · Kelso Lake 38 mi · Lost Lake 41 mi · Lower Glidden Lake 41 mi

See how Cave Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho · best yellow perch lakes in Idaho · best brown trout lakes in Idaho · best brook trout lakes in Idaho

Browse all Idaho fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.